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Roll-out of full fibre broadband in the UK

This ICE insights paper examines the roll-out programme for full-fibre and gigabit-capable broadband. It considers the potential economic and social benefits, delivery challenges and the potential for alternative approaches.

As ICE’s new insights paper on the rollout of full-fibre broadband reveals, this is an incredibly ambitious target. When the Future Telecoms InfrastructureReview was released in 2018, the then Government under Theresa May aimed to ensure a full-fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network would be in place by 2033. The new target – of 2025 – is a full eight years earlier than planned just two years ago.

A full-fibre network would have wide-ranging economic impacts. Openreach believes it will boost the economy by some £60 billion by 2025, enabling some people not in the workforce to re-enter work, and support more people to work remotely. This economic and speed stimulus is desperately needed in a world which is more interconnected. While the UK has an impressive 95% coverage for super-fast broadband, just 8% of the country is covered by fibre connectivity. When 28% of France, 71% of Spain and 97% of Japan has access to fibre-enabled broadband, Britain is at risk of falling far behind in the global race.

ICE’s paper also examines alternative pathways for delivering enhanced Internet connectivity. These include Canada’s plans to link up its communities using low earth orbit satellites and how 5G could be leveraged to better connect homes to the fibre network.